Priestess Of Ivalice
by Bridgy
Summary: Anja, a 15 year old from our world, is spirited away to the land of Ivalice. Frightened and confused, she is given a choice: become priestess of Ivalice or go back to her world where a war is raging on. LOTS MORE DETAILS INSIDE! PLEASE CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE.
1. Intro

**Anja, a fifteen year old girl, lives in Nazi Germany (1942). Her mother always told her that she did not belong in this world, that they came from a place called Ivalice and that her father was from a Holy land known as Mt. Bur-Omisace. Anja grew up thinking her mother was just crazy as she persisted in telling her daughter stories about how they were banished to this world. She was told it was because of the love her mother cherished towards a Kiltias. And when Anja's mother dies, leaving her an orphan at the tender age of seven, she fears her questions will never be answered. **

**As Anja is adopted by a German family who cannot have children of their own, she is safe from the clutches of the Nazi's raiding the Country. But is Anja truly safe? She is neither a Jew, nor German; she is from Ivalice. However, she does not believe that to be true, until one night she is spirited away by a group of beings she had only ever heard about in her mother's stories. **

**Frightened, Anja arrives to Mt. Bur-Omisace, leaving behind the life she knew in Germany. Perhaps her mother wasn't as crazy as she thought. With guilt building up inside her, Anja is told the truth of who and what she really is. The people of Bur-Omisace leave her with a choice: become Priestess of Ivalice, or go back to Germany. The choice is entirely up to her.**

**Without much to lose, Anja chooses to stay and become their Priestess. From there, she is granted the power of her late father, The Gran Kiltias Anastasis, whom Anja soon learns she was named after. But becoming Priestess is not easy, especially when one is so young. Anja undergoes many trials before becoming Ivalice's Priestess.**

**To keep her safe, Anja's true identity is hidden behind a veil. She must remain looking gentle and mysterious, all this to trick anyone into thinking she is weak in case they wish to do her harm. And Anja is good at this game as she quickly learns the rules. But looking pretty and taking the place of her father is the least of her worries. A terrible evil is fast approaching Ivalice and she and company (Vaan, Penelo, Basch, Balthier, Fran, Ashe, and even Larsa Solidor) must gather all thirteen Espers in order to save their land, and only Anja is able to hold all Thirteen Espers inside her. In order to do this, Anja must remain pure-a virgin-otherwise the powers bestowed upon her will be taken away, and Ivalice will have an even bigger problem on their hands.  
A tale of love and sacrifice shines light on our heroes one last time...  
**

* * *

**Author's Note: I am diving deep into the Lore of Final Fantasy 12 and will be changing it up a little bit to fit my own needs for the story. The story will be told through a series of years in order for characters to build relationships, grow as a character, and many many other things. Rest assured, a romantic relationship will grow between Larsa and Anja, but it will not happen RIGHT. AWAY. I want them to slowly grow closer to each other and build an unbreakable friendship. I WANT IT TO MAKE SENSE. And when the time comes for them to finally be together it will be glorious and well worth the wait-but not too much of a wait...perhaps. There will be plenty of fluffy moments between the two throughout the story.  
Please follow this story so you wont miss any updates! And if you would be so kind as to leave a review, I would greatly appreciate it.**


	2. Spirited Away

Germany, Berlin, 1942

In Volkspark Mariendorf, Anja Kaiserin and her friend, Mila, spent their free time after school talking. Anja held her arms out straight and tried to balance on a log that was often used as an obstacle for kids in the park. She came to one end of the log without a single mis-footing. "Tada!" She raised her arms into the air and shown her face up to the cloudy sky smiling, her brown hat falling off, revealing her short strawberry-blonde hair; her green eyes beamed playfully.  
"Impressive," said Mila with a sly grin on her face. She had watched Anja do this many a time. "I wish I could do that." Indeed, Mila so wished she could jump up on that log and walk on it as if she cut the dang thing from a tree. In truth, Mila suffered from poliomyelitis-in short, polio; a diseases resulting to weak muscles or the inability to move at all. She walked with a cane and often had Anja carry her school belongings-witch Anja never minded.  
"You know I would help you across it, if you wanted me to." Anja turned about and started walking to the other end. Before she could reach her destination, Anja's right foot slipped on a slippery moss bit, and she fell on her side. It had rained the night before, leaving certain things like mud, grass, or this is case, moss, slippery. She landed on her black leather school bag, busting the zipper open. Some of her books slid out and Anja was quick to retrieve them-and her hat.  
"Ah shoot!" Anja picked up her most treasured possession, The Hobbit, and wiped the mud off on her school uniform skirt. The ugly thing was brown so the fact that mud was smeared on it made no difference to Anja; her white shirt however, had specks of mud splattered on it. Luckily her brown Jacket took most of the damage.  
Mila burst out in a fit of giggles and pointed at her friend. "You've done it now!"  
"Ah heck! I don't care!" She grinned and stuffed The Hobbit back into her bag.  
Mila was more serious now. "Be careful no one sees you with that book."  
Anja did her best to get the remaining mud off her before answering. "Why, because it is written in English? I found it off the body of a British Soldier. It's mine now."  
"You shouldn't say things like that either." Mila gently scolded. She then asked, "Is that what motivated you to learn English?"  
Anja stared absently at the ground.  
"Anja?"  
Anja looked to her friend with a smile. "No, silly. My mother new English-my birth mother anyway. I'm sure I told you."  
"Sorry, I forgot. You told me so long ago that I couldn't quite remember. Maybe this disease of mine is getting to my head, too..." A gloomy look spread across her face as she looked down at her lap.  
Anja tossed her bag over her shoulder and walked up to Mila. "Hey, don't say things like that."  
"I know..." Mila shyly put a long strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear. Her chocolate brown eyes glazed over with tears filling to the brim.  
Anja got down on one knee, cleared her throat, and lowered her voice. "Do you want me to carry your things, Princess?" Anja usually did these things to cheer her friend up, or at least put a small smile on her face. She was also trying to change the subject. They had been through this many times and ignoring this topic was often the best solution.  
Mila laughed. "Is it still your dream to become an actress?"  
Anja stood now, straight and tall and held a hand over her heart. "Not just an actress...THE actress! Some day I'll make lots of money and get away from here. I'll take you with me of course." Anja always enjoy doing impersonations and when she was younger she would put on shows for her parents. She was good at pretending to be someone else.  
"Well, I wish you the best of luck!" Mila praised.  
Anja looked up at the sky. "It's getting late and you and I know we can't be late again. Our parents would surely give us the whip this time."  
Mila looked up at Anja and forced a smile while wiping away any tears that might have fallen. She smiled because she knew Anja wasn't serious about their parents whipping them. They would never do that. "Sure, let's go home."

One the way, Mila couldn't help but ask, "Why do you like that book so much? What is it called again? The Hobbit?"  
Why did she like it so much? That was a tough question. There were many things Anja liked about the book. "Well, for one thing, the bad guys lose. Another thing: there is a powerful wizard named Gandalf, and his best friend is this tiny person, Bilbo Baggins, and he's the Hobbit! They go on this epic adventure with these dwarfs and they fight a dragon! Who doesn't like dragons? I mean, come on!" Anja often imagined herself in the place of Bilbo. She wanted to be the one to fight a dragon and be best friends with a wizard. At times, Anja often thought to herself, "what would Bilbo Baggins do?". And often or not she would find some way or another to get herself out of sticky situations, whether it be at home or at school. "And that's why I like it so much." Anja ended as a matter of factly.  
"That does sound cool. Maybe you can read it to me sometime."  
"Read it to you? No, I'll help you learn English. Then you can read it yourself." Anja said graciously.  
Mila smiled shyly again. "Okay."

A nasally voice then rang out from down the street, catching the girls' attention. It was Mila's mother and she was standing at the doorway to their house.  
The girls hurried over and Anja handed Mila's things over to her mother.  
"Thanks again, Anja. Same time tomorrow morning?"  
"Of course! Goodbye and have a good night!"  
"Bye, Anja! You have a good night too!" Mila called out as she watched her friend hurry home.

* * *

"Good Heavens, child!" Anja's adoptive mother, Rachel, cried out in a shrilled voice, horrified by the mud left on her daughter's school uniform. "What did you do? Purposely jump into a swamp?"  
Anja rolled her eyes and took off her hat, tossing it on the dinner table. "No, mother. I tripped and fell. Honest to goodness."  
Rachel swiped the dirty hat off the clean table. "Even your hat is dirty. Go on now, run upstairs and get cleaned up. It's a good thing I washed your second uniform today, otherwise you'd be going to school smelling like a dog." She smacked her daughter's behind with the hat, forcing Anja to make her way to the bathroom. "Get some hot water running and I'll grab you some clean clothes."

The cure for a mucky day was a hot bath. There was so much steam coming from the bath that when Rachel slipped in to place Anja's clean clothes off to the side, she was but a fuzzy figure. But all the moisture and steam in the room could not mask the noise going on outside. She could hear German Solider's running about, and from time to time someone would scream. This was her life, her world, and she loathed it. If ever she wanted to forget the war that was going on right outside her home she oftentimes thought back to when her birth mother was still alive. What was her name again? Oh yes, Farah. It meant joy, happiness. But there was little joy when it came to her mother, Farah. She would feed Anja with lies of where they really came from. A place called Ivalice, and she was the daughter of a Gran Kiltias, whom she was named after. There was magic and beings of unimaginable beauty-like the Viera, or of power-like the Occuria. Such lies manifested inside Anja, making her feel unattached to her birth mother. Yet somehow, Anja so much wanted it to be true, just like her book The Hobbit. But things like that didn't happen in real life. What was real to Anja was a gun held firm in German Soldier's hand-or any soldier for that matter. THAT was real.

Once done with her bath, supper was ready and Anja soon joined her parents. It had always just been the three of them. Ever since Rachel was forced to become sterile, they were given the chance-and gift-of adopting Anja. They loved and cared for her as if she were their own flesh and blood.  
While Anja was prepping her plate with food, she glanced outside to see what the commotion was. German soldiers were right next door and they did not look pleased. They were armed at the ready.  
"The Fischer's are being taken away." Anja said while continuing to stare out the window. She was fixated on what was going on; her neighbors were being dragged out one-by-one and hauled into the back of a truck.  
"Stop looking!" Anja's father, Hans, warned her.  
With a sigh, Anja plopped her plate on the table. She didn't much feel like eating because she knew that the Fischer's would now go hungry tonight, and every night here after. But perhaps by the universes good grace, the Fischer's would all be put to death tonight. That way, they would not have to go on suffering.  
"You're a growing girl, Anja. Eat." Hans said as he scooped up a spoon full of mash potatoes.

Ah, a growing girl indeed. Anja had turned fifteen just last week and her awkward stages of puberty seemed endless.  
Once she finished her supper, Anja hurried off to her room, but not before giving her parents a kiss goodnight. She didn't go to bed right away though. Instead, she stayed up a while longer and read her favorite book, putting herself in the place of Bilbo Baggins and would at times read his sentences out loud in a soft whisper. Alas, Anja's eyes grew heavy and she placed her book back inside her bag. She turned off the light and dreamed about slaying the dragon Smaug with a mighty sword, or in Bilbo's case, an Elvin dagger.

* * *

That next morning was the same as the last. Anja woke up to her mother knocking on her bedroom door and forced herself to get up. When she opened her curtains she was unimpressed by the suns lack of affection. It was another cloudy day and Anja feared it would rain...again.  
Nevertheless, Anja put on her clean uniform and brushed her hair before putting her hat on, which still had some specks of dried mug stuck to it. Whatever, she didn't care.  
_It adds character,_ she thought to herself.  
As she finished getting ready, Anja rushed downstairs and gobbled up some breakfast.  
"Slow down or you'll choke." Rachel cautioned.  
"I'll be late picking Mila up for school."  
"I'm sure Mila will understand if you're a few minutes late. ENJOY your breakfast, don't inhale it."  
Anja didn't really listen though, and she was done with her food before her mother could sit down with her. She threw on her coat, grabbed her bag, and ran out the door.

Anja slowed down once she approached Mila's street. She took a few breaths to catch some air and turned the corner. There had always been a dreadful fear that Anja might one day come to find that Mila and her family would one day disappear. Today, that was somewhat true.  
Anja stopped, almost tripping over her own two feet as she saw Mila's parents dragged from their home. Mila's mother was crying while she struggled to stay on her feet as the soldier quickly pulled her by the hair. They were forced on their knees, shivering and crying as guns were held to their heads.

It was now or never. Anja forced herself to keep walking as if not phased by the scene unfolding. She could turn her gaze on the family or any of the soldiers in fear they would harm her or suspect her. And then Mila and her younger siblings were dragged out soon after. They were all crying and poor Mila could barely hold herself up as she quivered in fear for her life and the life of her family. Her face was stained with tears, her eyes and cheeks red.  
Anja knew Mila was looking at her, but alas, Anja could not look her way and continued walking looking dead ahead. She clutched the strap of her bag and cursed to herself inside her head. All the while she fought profusely to keep her emotions at bay.  
"You are found guilty of harboring the enemy and therefore will be executed." A soldier announced grabbing the attention of everyone on the street.

These words this soldier spoke had Anja doubting that could ever be true. If Mila's family really was hiding someone, surely she would have told her about it! Or perhaps it was true and to keep her safe, Mila kept this dangerous secret to herself. Either way, Anja forced herself to keep moving and not look back. However, she stopped for a moment at she heard a gun go off and Mila's mother screaming. But soon, her cries, too, stopped cold and all that was left were the soft whimpers of Mila and her siblings.  
"Please," Mila begged.  
_Yes, please, _thought Anja. But their begging did them no good and the gun went off again, silencing Mila and the rest of her family for good.

* * *

As Anja reached the front doors to her school she walked stiffly, trying to keep her composure. And thus, it started to rain.  
She escaped the sudden downpour as she entered the building just in time. The hallway was mostly empty, save for a few students making it to class. But Anja was not heading to class, she was heading to the bathroom. There she locked herself inside the furthest stall down and doubled checked to see if anyone else was in the bathroom. When it was clear that she was the only one, Anja let her emotions go and buried her face in her hands. She sobbed, trying to muffle her crying the best she could in fear someone would hear her. She had just lost her best friend in a gruesome manner and an ever burning hate for the sodiler's left an eternal mark upon her heart.

When the bell rang for school to begin, Anja screamed, her cries muffled by the bell.  
Her throat stung and her chest felt tight. She hated herself for not being able to do anything, but what choice did she have? For if she had spoken up against these claims toward Mila and her family, surely Anja would have suffered the same fate. Now Anja would never know. To her, she was no more than a coward.

After she had cried all she could, Anja forced herself to leave the stall. She turned the sink on and splashed her face with some water. The cool water felt good on her heated face, calming her down somewhat, although, her body still shook out of grief.  
Before another thought could enter her mind, an ear numb explosion went off near by. The whole building shook, causing Anja to slip and fall. Another explosion went off, louder than the first. Sirens went off, wrecking havoc in the surrounding area of the school.  
Anja picked herself up and ran out of the bathroom only to find students and teachers racing down the hall.

One of the teachers grabbed Anja by the sleeve of her jacket and forced her to come along. Everyone was making their way to the bomb shelter. There was no time to ask questions, no time to count the students that followed in suit. Terror was absolute.  
Anja never made it to the bomb shelter though. An explosion caused her to flee. Now everyone was running around frantically, trying to find a safe place to hide. But there was nowhere safe.  
The only place Anja could think of that brought some comfort to her weary mind was home. She thought of her parents and found the courage to keep running.  
She was unsure of how long she had been running. Her teachers were nowhere in sight and few students ran this way and that, making their way to what Anja assumed to be their homes as well. Soldiers and civilians alike were doing their best to find shelter or fight back.  
Who was this enemy that attacked them from above? Their flags bore a different color and symbol that Anja had never seen before. German soldier fired at them with their guns but they did little damage from the ground.

Soon, German air crafts could be seen taking flight.  
Besides their unusual flags, the air craft which they rode upon was giant and and made of heavy metal. The build of the air craft was not normal either, as it took on a oval shape with rings around it. Smaller air crafts flew out from the bottom of the oval shaped craft and down toward the city, hovering above the buildings. Who were they? Why were they here and what did they want? Were they part of the Americans? The French? Who?

Anja was a block away from home; she could see the top of the roof. And then...a German air craft crash landed right on top of it. A gust of wind pushed Anja back, dust and smoke flying into her face. Her ears were ringing now and she could not hear herself coughing as she choked on the smoke.  
Among all the chaos, Anja could see three figures making their way towards her and all wearing masks. One was a tall female with years that stuck straight up like a bunny. The other two were regular height with normal human features, both female as well. They wore strange armor and held unusual weapons in their hands as they hurried to her side.  
The one female with the bunny ears rested their weapon at their side and scooped Anja up. Too disoriented, Anja wanted to fight back, but she was unable to physically fight back and let the person carry her away.

The noise from outside was soon deafened as they entered an air craft, its doors sealed tight. From there, Anja was placed on a cot. The woman with the strange bunny-like ears took off her mask, her skin a soft tan color, her a pale blue. She said something to Anja, but her ears were still ringing.  
As she lay there in pain, cold and wet from the rain, and hurting from the debris flying off buildings, Anja could do nothing but try to mentally take note of what was happening to her. She tried to comprehend that what was going on was real.  
The woman with the bunny ears said something to her but Anja's couldn't catch all of what she said and remained in the dark about what was going on.

When Anja tried to sit up she was immediately rocked off the cot she was on, feeling the air craft sway from side to side. It appeared that someone had fired at them and they were desperately trying to escape.  
Anja took hold the edge of the cot to steady herself. "What's going on? Who are you people?" She said this in German first and then they did not respond, she asked again in English. Still, no answer.  
All three women were sitting up front. One was the pilot, while the other two sat on either side with screens and controls in front of them. Anja had never seen anything like it before. As as they went up into the sky, getting away from the cloudy skies and poisonous smoke, a bright light shone in through the front glass windows. Anja had to hold her hand partly in front of her face to block out some of the sun but she was able see well enough what lay before her: A beautiful, clear morning sky. The air craft was sitting above the clouds and high above them still were the stars. They were caught between Earth, and floating off into oblivion.  
"Are we clear to move yet?" Asked one of the human females.  
"Almost," said the other. "Ah! There it is, our signal!"

At that moment, more of the same air crafts joined theirs and a blackish-blue hole formed in the sky. It twirled round and round with specks of light popping out of it.  
"Now!" Said the female with the bunny ears.  
All air crafts came at full speed at the gaping hole in the sky. Terrified, Anja squeezed her eyes shut and grasped the side of the cot harder.  
What Anja thought would be a rough ride through whatever it was they were headed towards, ended up being smooth and quiet. As darkness overcame them, a deafening sound enveloped them. And when reached the end, small light growing in size, Anja's ears popped and she could hear again.

There were mountains for the eyes to see for miles; a frozen stream lay strewn across the rigid land, and entangled with all these foreign things, was a temple, molded, shaped, and built into one of the many mountains. And near it were floating boulders that looked as if they had been cut from the very mountains they flew over, and on them were places in which people took refuge.  
Anja gaped at the scene unfolding before her. For a moment she forgot her all her fears, but as soon as they neared the landing point and shut off the air craft, that fear returned.  
One of the female humans brought Anja to her feet ans escorted her out of the air craft. Anja looked left, then right, her mind racing. She ran for it but was soon stopped and picked up by the female with the bunny ears and thrown over her shoulder. In the process, Anja lost her bag and it flopped on the ground behind them.  
"No! My bag! I need my bag!" She cried, tears running down her face. She was overcome with grief from being kidnapped, losing her friend and also her parents. Not only that, but she was completely and utterly confused as to what was going on around her. For a moment she thought that she might be dreaming but this all seemed far too real.

Anja struggled to free herself from this woman's grasp but she could not. However, it did not stop her from trying. Only when the third female picked up Anja's bag did she lessen her urge to try and get away.  
As they entered the building, Anja was placed back on her feet and with that given back her bag. The door was then shut tight.  
"Forward," said the woman who hauled her inside. "There is someone who would like to speak with you."  
Anja could not even dry her tears before she was forced to walk again. She still had dirt on her from the bombs going off and she was still wet and cold. The cold climate was doing her no good either.

The temple in which she stood was miraculous in detail. Tall, thick pillars stood on either side of the walkway; the ceiling was painted with wondrous colors and designs. And up ahead was a statue resembling a God of some sort, a deity these people worshiped.  
"Remember," said the bunny eared woman. "Only speak when spoken to. Mind your manners as well as your tongue." The three woman who had taken Anja from her home removed their masks while in presence of the one standing before them all. The two human females were normal looking. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with them. But the third female, the one with the bunny ears, had a unique beauty to her.  
"No need for that, Relj." Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to this man. He was tall with long bony fingers, his eyebrows long and bushy, and his ears wide and pointed. He wore colorful robes and a sash across his chest with swirling designs sewn into it. Even Anja could not help but stop her fussing and stare. "I am certain you have many questions." Said the man. "Fret not, I will answer them all."  
He was clearly speaking to Anja, but still she felt the need to look this way and that just in case this strange looking man was not speaking to her. "I want to go home." She said immediately.  
The man sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to think. "I cannot do that."  
"Why not?" Anja fired back. "And who are you people...what are you?"  
"We are the people of Mt. Bur Omisace. Together we are a unity of different races working together."  
Anja took another look around the room. Other races? That was for sure. "That doesn't really answer my question. And what about my home...my parents? They died!"  
The female names Relj stepped forward. "They are not dead. My people saved them before anything could happen."  
"Then where are they? Are they here?" Anja wanted to know.  
The man up front answered her honestly. "They are not allowed here. They are not your real parents, they are not of this world."  
"Well neither am I!" Anja shouted. She suddenly took a step back, surprised at herself.  
But the man did not seemed phased by this. Instead, he simply said, "On the contrary, you are part of this world. Your birth parents are no longer of this world, or any world. They have joined the spirits in the next life, which we all do in the years to come."  
Anja was beside herself with heartache. She slumped to her knees and started crying again. "I just want to go home. Please, let me go home to my parents."  
"You are home." Said the man. "Now, you dry those tears."  
Anja did her best to dry her face with the sleeve of her dirty jacket and looked up at the man without hope. "Who was my real father?"  
"His name was Anastasis. He was a Gran Kiltias, such as I, but I am hoping you will take my place. We have need of you, Anja, and we went through a great many ordeals to reach you."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Become Priestess of of Ivalice. Our country-our homeland-needs your help."  
"With what?" She sniffed, trying to clear her stuffed nose.  
"It has become known to us that the Esper's are stirring about. Only a Priestess can put them at ease again. We need you to do just that."  
Anja shook her head. "Get someone else. I don't know anything about Espers or Ivalice."  
"But you will." Said the Kiltias.  
Anja took a big breath and then said, "First, you banish my mother me to another world-or so that is what she always told me before she died. And now, you take me from my former parents, kidnap me away from home and tell me I have some kind of duty to fulfill? This is NOT my problem. Get someone else!"  
The Kiltias sighed, looking at Anja with sadness. "Taking you home would be no easy feat. Time flows different when it comes to our worlds. You seem to be very young still-perhaps sixteen or seventeen-"  
"I'm fifteen." Anja interrupted.  
The Kiltias paused and then continued speaking. "Fifteen," he corrected himself. "Yet, when your father and mother decided to have you, that was fifty years ago. If we try to take you home now, we cannot promise you will end up back in the time you left."

This was never something Anja wanted to admit to herself, but all those stories her mother told were true. They were most certainly true. Anja felt lost, confused, angry, but most off she felt abandoned. She had no one. No family and no friends. So what choice did she have?  
"What I can promise you, though, dear Anja," The Kiltias began. "We will do our utmost to ensure that you are comfortable here. As long as you remain Priestess, we will protect you, cloth you, feed you, and treat you as our own."  
Anja was defeated. Her heart couldn't take it anymore and finally she gave in. "What must I do?"  
The Kitlias smiled warmly. "The answer may seem simply, but I assure the journey will be difficult. You must gather all thirteen Espers. Yor father's blood flows strongly in your veins."  
"And what will happen once I collect all thirteen Espers?"  
The Kiltias did not answer right away. There was a moment of silence before his words reached her. "The answer to that lies within you. I cannot be the one to give you this answer."  
Anja picked herself up, repositioning the strap from her bag on her shoulder. A single thought popped into her head: what would Bilbo Baggins do?"Fine, I'll do it. But don't think for one minute I'm going to be happy about this." For now, Anja would play her part, and when the time was right she would find a way out.  
The Kiltias held back a smile. "Of course, my Priestess."

At that moment everyone bowed to Anja-even the three females who swept here away were now treating her with great respect. Little did Anja know or even realize just how much her life had changed in that single moment.

**Little Anja will be meeting Larsa in the next chapter, so stay tuned!  
Leave a review please! It encourages me to get the next chapter out faster.  
Also, you should know that I will take my time with this story. I want it to be nice for all of you who are reading. **


	3. Playing Pretend

A week had gone by since Anja arrived at Mt. Bur Omisace. Word was spreading like rapid fire at the news of Ivalice's Priestess. Hundreds of people wanted to meet her and see what she was like. Before any of that could take place, certain requirements had to be met. Anja was given a proper cleansing bath to wash away any and all impurities. Second, she needed to be measured, and the right outfits picked out. A sloppy looking Priestess was not open for discussion. The third most important thing to prepare for was finding someone who was the same height and weight. Anja didn't like the idea of having a decoy, but it was for safety reasons. If anyone were to take advantage or try to kidnap the Priestess, they would have a hard time getting their hands on the right one.  
"What if I disguise my voice?" Anja suggested. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her. Anja cleared her throat. "Sure, a decoy is fine, but what if they have to talk? If I talk normally, people will easily spot the real one."  
"An excellent point." Said Relj. The beautiful Viera had become one of Anja's protectors.  
Anja balled her hand into a fist and put it in front of her mouth, clearing her throat a second time. "How does this sound?" Anja's German accent disappeared and became more sweet and girly, doing her best to perfect the people's accent.  
Anja's decoy stepped forward and copied her. "How did I do?" she asked.  
Anja smiled. "That was really good, Piper." Piper's hair was once long but cut short and styled to look like Anja's.  
"No more wasting time." Relj ushered the girls to hurry up. "Lady Ashelia B'bargin of Dalmasca and Emperor Larsa Ferrinas Solidor of Archadia will arrive at any moment."

While Anja's decoy, Piper, dressed up, Anja dressed down. Instead of wearing anything fancy, she chose to wear the same blue and grey uniform as Relj. The pants hugged her legs, but they were stretchy. On the top, she wore a long sleeve grey shirt with a dark blue vest over it, and for shoes, she wore long black boots. The uniform was designed for traveling purposes, or in some cases, fighting. It was easy to move around it, and it covered everything.  
As for Piper, the style of the dress was very oriental. The sleeves were long and wide at the ends, the back had a train that trailed behind her by a foot; she wore matching silk slippers with soft padding, making her footsteps silent. Lastly, on top of her head, sat a silver headset with a white silk veil hanging down in front of her face to hide her identity. With the help of magic, the veil stayed in place and it allowed whoever was wearing it to clearly see through it.

Anja's reasoning to wanting Piper to take her place when first meeting their guests was so that she could see them without being looked at as the Priestess. With her standing by Piper's side, Anja's true self would go unnoticed by the eyes of the authority.  
Without another moment to lose, Anja walked beside Relj, Piper, and a few others as they made their way to the front of the temple. When the doors opened, and the light from outside poured in, Anja saw two giant airships floating in the sky. At the bottom of the steps where their guests, Ashelia B'nargin of Dalmasca, and Emperor Larsa Ferrinas Solidor of Archadia.

On their way down to greet them, this gave Anja time to look them over without being obvious. Lady Ashelia looked like everything Anja thought she would be: beautiful, slim, well dressed and a perfect posture. As for the Emperor of Archadia, Lord Larsa was not what Anja had imagined. She was surprised to see that he was not as old as she thought. Even though he was fairly tall, his young face proved that he was about the same age as her. He wore a handsome smile on his face, however, that smile wasn't directed towards Anja, but at Piper.  
Perfect, thought Anja. All was going according to her plan.

The Gran Kiltias stood at the bottom as well and introduced the two groups. "Anja, Priestess of Ivalice, meet our gracious guests, Queen Ashelia B'nargin of Dalmasca, and Emperor Larsa Ferrinas Solidor of Archadia."  
Anja watched with amusement as Piper shook their guests' hands.  
"Thank you for coming." Piper mimicked Anja's sweet voice from earlier, causing Anja to purse her lips together so she wouldn't smile and give herself away.  
Now that Anja stood only a few feet from the Queen and Emperor, she felt giddy knowing they suspected nothing.  
"Please come inside," Piper gracefully gestured with her hand. "There is food and drink waiting for you."

Once the doors to the temple were closed, Piper turned to their guests. "Excuse me. There is something I forgot in my room. Please, follow the others and I will be with you shortly." Neither Piper nor Anja needed to retrieve anything. This was their way of swapping places, and the two walked off in the opposite direction with Relj close behind.  
Anja and Piper switched clothes as quick as they could.  
"Take this," said Relj to Anja.  
"What's this for?" She held up a shiny red fan.  
"If they ask, tell them that's what you forgot."  
"O-of course!" Anja took the fan and slipped it into her sleeve. Forgetting a fan seemed like a silly thing to go back for, but perhaps Lady Ashelia and Lord Larsa would not question it.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the temple, Lord Larsa and Lady Ashelia were taken to the dining room.  
"We ask that you please remove your shoes here. The Gran Kiltias wishes to keep any and all dirt out of the room." Explained one of the servants.  
The two stole glances at one another but said nothing about it, and proceeded to take off their shoes. When inside, they were greeted with a wonderful aroma of food. A table that sat close to the floor was covered in dozens of dishes to choose from, and some of the food was still so hot that steam rose from them.  
Sitting on the floor were pillow cushions and Lady Ashe and Lord Larsa took a seat. Already their first impression of the Priestess was an odd one, but very interesting nevertheless.

When they were left alone, Ashe was the first to speak. "My, this is a surprise."  
Larsa smiled thoughtfully at this as he picked up a teacup to admire the simple yet wonderful designs. Since hitting puberty, he found himself hungry more than usual, and the smell of the food was awfully tempting. There were other things that tempted him as well. As a young man of fifteen, his body was rapidly changing, causing him to have unusual urges, especially in the morning. Ever since hearing about the Priestess of Ivalice, he came up with multiple scenarios in his head about the first time meeting her and what he would say to her, and the fact that her appearance remained a mystery teased him in the best of ways. No matter his natural teenage cravings, Larsa was able to behave himself and mind his thoughts if they wandered too far.  
"Larsa, did you hear me?"  
Larsa set the teacup down. "I'm sorry?"  
Ashe raised a brow, a tiny smirk growing on her face. "I asked what you thought of all this."  
The young Emperor took another look around the room. "It's changed much. However, I like it."  
"And the Priestess?"  
"I'm unsure at this point. She seems...delicate."  
Ashe nodded knowingly. "Yes, that's the word I thought of too. She seems far too young to hold the title of a Priestess."  
This surprised Larsa, for he became Emperor shortly after his brother, Vayne, died in battle three years earlier. "Really?" It was all he could say, hoping the Lady Ashe would elaborate more on that statement.  
The beautiful Dalmascan Queen reflected on her last words more carefully. "What I mean to say is: she seems out of place."  
"You did read the letter, yes?" Larsa reminded her. "Or did yours say something different?"

The same letter was sent to every kingdom and noble-house in Ivalice, letting the whole country know that their Priestess was from another world. Although reasons for her being there were still unknown, the Emperor and Queen doubted not that they would soon find out the answer.

* * *

Anja made her way down the hall, talking to herself inside her head. She was thinking about what she wanted to talk to them about. These people were extremely important in the eyes of, well, everyone. Anja wanted to make a big impression on them, that's why she went through the trouble of picking out every meal, table cloth, drink, and even the silverware.  
She had read up on Chinese and Japanese culture during and after the war and found it all very fascinating. That's why chose the style she did to entertain her guests.

The moment arrived when she stood just outside the door to where Lord Larsa and Lady Ashelia were waiting for her. She could hear their muffled voices and strained to hear, but alas, she could not make out what they were saying. With a deep breath, Anja calmed herself and mentally told herself that she could do this. Ever since she was very young she had always aspired to be an actress, and this was her big moment.

As the door opened, Larsa and Ashe turned to look at her. They were speechless in her presence as she definitely had a different way about her. The reason for that was because the Priestess was now actually acting as Priestess.  
Lady Ashe and Lord Larsa stood immediately to greet her, and Anja wished they handed. It made her feel silly. All her life she had been a nobody, and now, all of a sudden, in just one short week, Anja had become one of the most important figures in an entire country! How was she supposed to deal with that?  
Anja smiled sweetly behind her veil, getting ready to mask her voice. "Oh, please don't stand for me. Sit! Sit!" She gracefully walked over to the table and sat opposite of them. "I hope you're hungry."  
"Oh! What was it that you forgot?" asked Lady Ashe.  
Anja nearly forgot and quickly swiped out her fan. She flipped it open, making a snapping sound. "I get warm easily." She said as she started to fan herself.  
Larsa grinned, finding her amusing.

While the three of them readied their plates, picking whatever they liked off the table like a buffet, it was then that Anja poured them each a cup of tea.  
"I hope you like green tea. It's my favorite."  
Ashe smiled. "It is. Thank you, Priestess."  
"Call me Anja."  
Ashe's smile lingered. "Of course, Anja."  
During their friendly banter, Larsa was doing his best to make out whatever features he could that danced behind Anja's veil. He soon gave up as there was no good way of getting a glimpse at her. Besides that, a part of him would end up feeling guilty on the off chance he would see her face. He wanted to respect her privacy, and left the rest up to the imagination.  
Suddenly, Anja's itch to change the subject brought Larsa back to his senses. She said to them, "Do you know why I have us sitting and eating this way?" The others said nothing and waited for her to respond. "It's because I wanted to us all to be on the same level. No special chairs, no separate dishes, we all pick and eat from the same food, and drink the same drink."  
"Like equals." Ashe didn't mean to cut in, she was just eager to say what Anja meant, for she too, liked the idea.  
The innocent smile that played across Larsa's face showed that he agreed as well. "I think we should eat like this more often." Already the Priestess was setting up ideas in the young Emperor's head.

After a moment of eating, and they had had their fill, Anja dabbed her lips clean. She was forced to eat slowly as she did not want to get any sauce on her veil. "You two must be wondering why we have called you here." Anja retained her angelic voice. "One reason is simply that I wanted to meet you. The other is to create a friendship with each of you. I hope that we can become good friends."  
Even though the veil hid her face well, Ashe could tell that she was smiling. "I hope for that as well."  
"There is more to this meeting though, than getting to know one another. The gran Kiltias has asked me not to speak on that matter though until he is present."  
"When can we meet him?" asked Larsa. Since the Gran Kiltias Anastasis was murdered, Larsa had yet to meet the new man in charge. With that in mind, it left him wondering who was really in charge: the Gran Kiltias, or the Priestess?  
"Very soon," Anja promised.

When they had finished eating, Anja led Ashe and Larsa out of the room. They walked casually through the temple and spoke mostly about Ivalice and her people. As they arrived at the main part of the temple, the Gran Kiltias was waiting for them. Ashe and Larsa bowed to him.  
"Your Grace," Larsa said. "An honor to finally meet you."  
"Thank you for gracing us with your presence." Said Ashe.  
Rather than stand by her newly acquainted friends, Anja stood beside the Gran Kiltias. It was his turn to do all the talking now. "The honor is all mine." Answered the Gran Kiltias. "Although I wish I could continue to speak to you about such pleasantries, there are other matters at hand that need to be dealt with."  
Anja could feel the tension in the room shifting. She gulped.  
"The Esper's have become restless. I've seen it in my dreams, and I fear the reality of them breaking free is at risk."  
"What can we do to help?" offered Larsa.  
The Gran Kiltias chuckled softly. "Lord Larsa, Emperor of Archadia, you have always been so eager to help those in need. I admire that." He took a breath. "If the Esper's seek freedom from their gilded cages, there is but one way to put an end to them, or at least, seal them back in their rightful place."  
"What must we do?" Ashe wasn't hesitant to lend a hand at all.  
The Gran Kiltias gestured with one hand over to Anja. "The Priestess, pure of heart, mind, body, and soul, will collect all thirteen Esper's."  
"Do you mean for us to conquer the Esper's?" Larsa wanted to know.  
The Gran Kiltias nodded slowly. "Indeed. By doing that, their power will flow into the Priestess. When all thirteen are collected, you must return here where a special ceremony will take place. That ceremony will ensure the seal on all Esper's."  
Ashe thought on this for a moment. "To do this, we will need a willing and able party to help and stand by us no matter the cost."  
"I'm sure that won't be a problem." Larsa cut in, thinking about his sky-pirate friends.  
Ashe glanced over at him. She was thinking the same thing too.  
"I will leave that up to you to decide who is worthy of such a task." Said the Gran Kiltias.  
Suddenly, Larsa said, "What if the Esper's do not break free? What will become of the Priestess?" This was his way of trying to figure out who was in charge without being too obvious. He also wanted to know who he would be able to turn to if things got out of hand.  
"The Esper's WILL break free, Lord Larsa, that I am sure of. In my dreams I have walked the ashed covered grounds of Ivalice, looking up to the sky as the Esper's wreck havoc on her people."  
"How much time do we have?" asked Ashe.  
"It could be days, weeks, months," he paused. "It could take years before all thirteen Esper's can be collected. Until then, the Priestess must remain safe and unharmed by lustful hands."  
Ashe wanted to know more. "And when we are not out there fighting the Esper's, what duties will the Priestess and the rest of us perform?"  
The Gran Kiltias had an answer to everything. "By my orders, the Priestess will be treated as a title of power." In other words, Anja was to take part in any major meetings concerning the safety of Ivalice. This granted her the ability to speak with all members of the royal kingdoms in Ivalice.  
"Understood," said Larsa.

* * *

Later that day, as evening was fast approaching, a party was hosted and many of noble status were invited. Anja was swamped with strangers, as they all wanted to meet her. Ralj, on the other hand, was quite forceful and had to guide Anja away from them half the time. Meanwhile, Piper was now dressed in the same grey and blue uniform. She stood by if ever Anja needed her.

When the handshakes finally came to an end, and Anja had met everyone, she scurried away to the side to catch some air. It was all very overwhelming for her, and all she wanted to do was return to her chambers and fall face first into her pillow. That all seemed like a pleasant dream as the party was far from over.  
"Excuse me." Said a voice.  
Anja jumped a little and spun around on her toes to see who it was. "Oh! Emperor Lord Larsa!"  
Larsa smiled. "Larsa is fine, Anja." He remembered hearing her tell Ashe to just call her by her first name.  
"How are you enjoying yourself?" Anja asked, trying to make small talk.  
Larsa took a few more steps closer to her, but still minded his distance as he could sense Relj staring him down. "I'm having a wonderful time. I hope you are too."  
Anja nodded. "I am, although, I wouldn't mind a smaller crowd."  
Larsa chuckled at this. "If large crowds bother you, then being Priestess may be difficult."  
Anja rested her arms behind her back. "You must be used to these sort of things, being Emperor and all."  
Larsa nodded. "Very much." He told her.  
"Tell me what it's like. You look so young to be an Emperor. When I was told I'd be meeting you and Lady Ashe, I imagined you older."  
Larsa smiled warmly, hesitant on answering her question. He did not want to talk about himself, he wanted to know more about her. She fascinated him! "Tell me about you first." Larsa flipped the subject. "What is your world like?"  
Listening to Larsa's calm and gentle voice was almost a trick in itself to get to say anything. "My world is very interesting, trust me."  
"What's not interesting?" Ashe joined the conversation, a glass of red wine in one hand.  
"I was just asking Anja to tell me what her world is like," Larsa said.  
Ashe'es eye's beamed with delight. "Yes, tell us, Priestess Anja."

With the two of them eagerly wanting to know, how could Anja refuse them? She wanted to tell them the truth, but at the same time, she didn't want to shatter their vision of a perfect realm in which the Priestess once resided. In truth, it was not perfect. Far from it, actually. In the end, Anja decided to tell them the truth. Lying to them was not something she could do.  
"There is a world war going on right now, or at least there was before I was taken here. You see, the Gran Kiltias told me that time flows differently between our worlds."  
"Interesting. I guess that would make things difficult if ever you would wish to return." Said Ashe.  
Anja nodded. "I was told by the Gran Kiltias that fifty years have gone by since my human mother and I were taken to the other world. As you can see, I am only fifteen. The former Gran Kiltias Anastasis was my father." Ashe and Larsa gaped at her, and Anja knew at that moment that she blurted out something she really shouldn't have.  
"The Gran Kiltias Anastasis had a child?" Ashe was shocked and washed down the rest of her wine.  
However, the wheels were turning in Larsa's head. If Anja was really whom she said she was then perhaps she held a higher position than the Gran Kiltias now. "You said your mother was human? So, that makes you half Helgas."  
Anja nodded. "I'm still learning about everything and everyone here. I'm sorry if I've said something I shouldn't have."  
"It's all right," Ashe assured her. "Go on, tell us the good things about your world." She smiled.

Ashe had a way of making an uncomfortable situation bearable.  
Anja sighed. "The simple things are the best: playing in the park with friends, reading, eating your favorite candy bar, or seeing a film."  
"What's a film?" asked Larsa.  
It hadn't dawned on Anja until this very moment that the people in this world might not have anything resulting in a movie. "A film is like a play, only the play is set up on a screen and the events taking place have been recorded ahead of time by a camera."  
Ashe raised a curious brow. "A camera?"  
Before Anja could explain, she was pulled away by more people and forced to interact and act courteously.

By the end of the night, most of the people had retired. Anja could hardly stand as he feet hurt so much.  
"Priestess," said Relj. "We should return to your chambers for the evening.  
Anja nodded, happy that Relj was there to save her from anymore forced conversations.  
"We will walk with you." Said Piper.  
"We should all get some rest." Lady Ashe followed suit with Anja. "Do you mind if I walk with you as well? I believe our rooms are headed in the same direction."  
"I don't mind." Said Anja.  
Larsa took the other side of Anja. "I believe I will do the same."  
With Piper and Relj walking close behind, the three's conversation from earlier was still on hold. Instead, they talked about Ivalice and all the wonderful things you could.

Lady Ashe's room came first and she bid everyone a good night, leaving Larsa to reach his room next.  
Together, Anja and the young Emperor walked in silence. There was little to talk about with the two still following.  
"This is where I am staying." Larsa stopped short at a door. He turned to Anja and bowed, taking her hand and brushing his lips against her soft skin, giving the back of her hand a very tender kiss. "I wish you a pleasant night, Priestess Anja." There was a playful ring in his voice.  
Anja was thankful for the veil because her face flushed and no doubt she was red as a tomato. "G-good night, Lord Larsa."

When Anja reached her chambers, she sent Relj and Piper away. She could manage to take off her own clothes and putting on her nightgown, and then headset came off and the veil slipped away, Anja breathed a giant sigh of relief. The first day of many more to come was over. She jumped into bed, burying her face in her pillow just like she wanted, but when she lifted her head, her pillow had wet spots. Anja touched her cheeks. She was crying. After a stressful day, it was no wonder she didn't break down sooner. Plus, she was homesick and she missed her parents. Then there was Mila to think about. Her friend was dead, killed right in front of her. This brought Anja to tears even more and she hugged her pillow tight.

* * *

The next morning, Lady Ashe and Lord Larsa had to leave early in the morning. They had eaten their breakfast separate from Anja, and only when it came time for them to leave, did she grace them with her presence once again.  
The airships were still high in the sky, and Ashe and Larsa stood at the base of the stairs to the temple and waited for the Priestess. However, it was not Anja who would say farewell to them, but Piper. The young girl acting as Anja's double took on the role as Priestess while Anja dressed down in her uniform.  
"It was an honor meeting you, Priestess Anja." Ashe gave her a small bow and shook her hand.  
"I look forward to our next meeting. Until then, I hope you stay well." Larsa bent down and gave Piper a kiss on the back of her hand.  
Anja watched, remembering what it felt like to have Larsa touch her in such a way. Now she wished she hadn't swapped places. It was too late now.  
"Safe travels to you both." Piper bowed her head.

Finally, the Queen and young Emperor were far and away. Anja did not know when she would see them next, but she did not doubt that it would take long to hear from them soon, whether it be by letter, or in person.  
Suddenly, Anja turned her head in the opposite direction. A loud crack sounded through the air. It was coming from the Stillshrine of Miriam. Perhaps the first Esper to collect was no too far off.


End file.
